LEFT BEHIND

Chapter 24

Guilt is feeling self-conscious and experiencing a sense of distress about your potential responsibility for a negative outcome. It's an emotional state where we experience conflict at having done something that we believe we should not have done.

That's exactly what the Romano brother's were feeling now. The footage had ended almost five minutes ago but they simply stood. Silence encompassed the room.

Guilt was a feeling the Romano brother's had never felt before. They were taught it's a weak emotion. It was something that would never benefit them. They were raised to be cruel. Tough. Strong

They weren't raise to feel. But now they couldn't do anything but feel.

Alessia Romano had not killed her father.

It was something they all had trouble wrapping their heads around. They had believed she had for 9 years yet the proof that she hadn't was right Infront of their eyes.

Alessandro was the first to move from his position. He stormed his way out of the room anger coursing through his veins. But he wasn't angry at anyone but him self.

"Sandy come play with me!"

"Sandy let's go to the park!"

"Sandy can you help me with my hair?"

Little Alessia began to circle around his brain when the realization came crashing down. He had ripped her childhood away from her and had no one to blame but himself. He had done that.

He clenched his jaw in frustration wanting to rip his hair out to make the thoughts swirling  around his brain go away.

"Sandy you're my favourite but don't tell,"

"Sandy Leo's being mean"

"I love you sandy,"

Alessandro wanted to scream. He had never felt so horrible in his life. But Alessia had probably felt worse. Tears stung his eyes but Alessandro was quick to blink them away refusing to cry.

He had to remain strong. He had to. And he had to find his sister. He would make things right. He would apologize and they could start over from the beginning. He just had to find her first. They'd be ok. He'd make sure they were ok.

Why didn't he listen. She had begged him to help her, to listen to her. So why didn't he listen. How stupid could he have been to believe that a six year old could kill her own father. Why had he let his grief and anger blind him so much he was willing to believe whatever came out the witch they once called mother's mouth.

He was an idiot. Alessandro Romano was truly an idiot. He had no one to blame. He made his way into the gym needing a way to funnel his anger out. He was so fucking angry. He didn't even bother to wrap his wrists as he approached the punching bag in the middle of the ring.

Alessandro began to hit it with all his might sending punch after punch. His knuckles became bloody and bruised but he didn't stop. He kept hitting it over and over again. The pain felt sort of satisfactory. He deserved it. He was her oldest brother. He was the one who was meant to protect her. Yes he was what she needed protection from.

"When you lose everything you hold dear to you, that's on you,"

It was on him. Because now they had truly lost everything. Their father would be so disappointed in them. Not Alessia.

But they had constantly told her that. They told her over and over again that it was her fault. That their father hated her. That they hated her. Over and over again.

The bag fell from its hook as sand began to spill out but that didn't deter Alessandro who began to kick it over and over again. Soon enough the sand was everywhere as Alessandro stood there breathing heavily. Just then Emilio came into the room before hesitantly approaching Alessandro.